Capstone Project: Marketing Communications. An integrated Inbound marketing strategy developed for Emerson College by Kornilia Tzana, Aishni Katariya, Sophie Nir and Skylar Ripley.

1. 1Kornilia Tzana, Aishni Katariya, Sophie Nir, Skylar Ripley

2. Emerson College is the nation’s only four-year institution devoted
exclusively to the study of communication and the arts in a liberal
arts context. Emerson is recognized internationally for its fields of
specialization. These include communication studies, marketing
communication, journalism, communication sciences and
disorders, visual and media arts, the performing arts, and writing,
literature and publishing. Beyond this, Emerson provides an
environment where students can BE themselves, rather than find
themselves. This empowerment to “BE” allows students to fail,
succeed, destroy, create, criticize, and praise, all within the
confines of a free-thinking environment.
The integrated marketing campaign proposed, with this
opportunity in mind, has three objectives: to find and attract the
right future students, to create the best Emerson, and to
strengthen alumni relations. These objectives can be accomplished
through target-centric inbound marketing methods, the creation of
an online community, and the sustained connection and
identification of alumni to the institution. Ultimately, the campaign
is meant to be something timeless, explaining how Emerson can
effectively attract a prospective student, enhance that student’s
college experience, and help that student transition into an alumna
through sustained involvement.
Executive Summary
Currently, Emerson is challenged with facing its traditional
competitors, surviving in a highly unstable market, and
authenticating its value in contrast to emerging competitors such as
massive open online courses, boot camps, and technical schools.
This rising complex, competitive environment, along with the
unstable higher education market, creates an opportunity for
Emerson to truly differentiate itself from its competitors. In a
socially constructed society that believes the value of a degree is
declining, it has never been more important for an institution like
Emerson to communicate its true value.
Emerson College finds its origins in 1880 when Charles Wesley
Emerson founded the Boston Conservatory of Elocution, Oratory,
and Dramatic Art. It’s fair to say that Charles never could’ve
imagined the institution becoming what it it is today, but for 136
years Emerson has held enough value to attract students from
across the globe. Now, Emerson must consider how to hold and
communicate this value for the next 136 years. We propose what
we think is a vision in the form of a campaign.
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3. Founded in 1880 as an oratory school, Emerson has steadily grown to
become one of the leading schools in fields of communication and the
arts.
Over the past 20 years, Emerson has transformed significantly. The
campus was moved to the Downtown area of Boston, next to the
theater district, as a way to better serve the needs of the students and
the school. In alignment with its push for creation and innovation, the
college has also invested in new facilities for the Boston campus,
including the creation of a new Residence Hall and community space
and a complete renovation of the Little Building, as well as in the new
Emerson LA campus.
Emerson offers multiple majors within communication and the arts
ranging from Communication Sciences and Disorders to Visual Media
and Performing Arts. The distinct culture of creativity and collaboration
that characterizes the student body and the hands on approach of its
classes have set Emerson College apart from the competition.
With this campaign we want to strengthen and build upon this elements
in order to create a stronger connection between the school and
prospective, current and former students.
About Emerson College
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4. Emerson is located in downtown Boston, a city
with numerous colleges and universities. As a
result, Emerson, first and foremost, faces
direct, high competition of all the surrounding
universities in Boston: Northeastern University,
Boston University, Bentley University, Amherst
College, Suffolk University, etc. The college also
stands against larger institutions offering
similar programs and more facilities, such as
USC and UCLA.
However, newer technologies have allowed
other, less traditional forms of competitors to
enter higher and adult education in order to
gather a solid audience through their ease of
access and lower costs.
Four Strategic/Competitive Groups:
Market Landscape
1. Urban “Liberal Arts” Colleges:
Northwestern, NYU, American University
2. Larger Institutions with similar majors &
benefits as Emerson: USC, UCLA,
University of Wisconsin - Madison,
University of Texas - Austin, University of
Illinois at Urbana Champaign
3. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
that offer low-cost courses: Coursera/edX
4. Bootcamps offering digital marketing,
film and business courses: General
Assembly, Tradecraft, Startup Institute,
Product School Skillcrush
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5. Competitive Analysis
NYU
● Undergrad Enrollment: 24,945
● Tuition: $45,386
● Strengths: Broad range of programs, location, abroad
opportunities
● Emerson’s Strategic Advantage: Specialized programs, appeal
to students who want an urban campus not in New York
Northwestern
● Undergrad Enrollment 8,405
● Tuition: $50,424
● Strengths: Broad range of programs, rich history of academic
excellence, strong research institution
● Emerson’s Strategic Advantage: Smaller class sizes,
specialized programs, location
American University
● Undergrad Enrollment: 7,706
● Tuition: $23,490
● Strengths: work based & specialized programs, location
● Emerson’s Strategic Advantage: location, arts oriented, a lot
of hands-on opportunities
Emerson
● Undergrad Enrollment: 3,757
● Tuition: $42,144
What makes Emerson stand out in totality is
identity. Emerson attracts a one-of-a-kind
breed of students. Many other students can
go to a Bentley University, or Northeastern,
but that doesn’t mean those students will be
fit for Emerson, and the specific persona it
identifies with. The unique courses it has to
offer, the fact it is in touch with technology,
and the innovation on a day to day basis is
what has given Emerson an upper hand over
its competition.
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6. Consumer Research
Motivations for Going to College: Methods used for researching schools:
Key Insights:
● 46% of respondents say that getting a better job is a motivation to attend college.
● 45% of respondents say that higher pay is a motivation to attend college.
● 36% of respondents used online methods to research schools.
● 32% of respondents went on campus tours in order to assess schools.
● 27% of respondents spoke with school representatives when researching schools.
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7. Consumer Research
Reasons to attend a college/university:
Key Insights:
● 75% of respondents who are in school, or
plan to go to school, say that a college degree
is necessary to have a successful career.
● 73% of respondents who are in school, or
plan to go to school, say that a college degree
provides security.
● 82% of all respondents say that an important
part of the college experience is meeting
people from different backgrounds.
● 76% of respondents who are in school, or
plan to go to school, say that joining student
organizations is an important part of the
college experience.
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8. STRENGTHS
● Strong presence in the entertainment and
communication industries
● Unique, creative and driven student body
● Industry standard facilities
● Close knit community with strong student-teacher
connections
● Professors are still active in their fields
● Strong alumni network
WEAKNESSES
● Prospective students not as aware of the highly ranked
non VMA programs (Thought of as a “film school”)
● Low awareness in the Midwest and internationally
● Lack of strong school spirit that often seen in bigger
institutions (ex. especially those with a large sports
culture.)
● Low funding by alumni
OPPORTUNITIES
● Branching into online classes and complete degrees in
editing, marketing, journalism etc.
● Expand its reach and strengthen its presence in the
Midwest as well as internationally.
● Strong connection to the alumni is also an opportunity
Emerson should take more action to capitalize on.
● Raise the amount of funding received by alumni, which
has been very low compared to other institutions.
THREATS
● Larger higher ed institutions with a wider-reaching
reputation and well-established programs similar to
Emerson’s: film, marketing, journalism, TV production
etc.
● Online classes and certificates offered by other higher
ed institutions,
● Online certification courses and bootcamps with
lower cost and time commitment.
SWOT
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9. YOU DON’T COME TO EMERSON TO
FIND YOURSELF, YOU COME TO
EMERSON TO BE YOURSELF
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10. Emerson College is a special school with a unique student body. Emerson students are particularly driven prior to
applying to college. They seek a liberal arts college experience with more of a trade school education. Above
anything, Emerson students want to create work. While Emerson students are certainly committed to being the
best in their field, they are not interested in the traditional stuffiness of ivy-league academia. They regard
pop-culture as high of an academic pursuit as the classics. They strive to be on the cutting edge.
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Emerson Students
Demographics
● 18-22
● High school graduates
● Little personal income
● Unmarried
● Live in Boston, MA
Psychographics
● Hippies and/or nerds
● Progressive
● Creative
● Innovative
● Thrive in big cities

11. Objectives
1. Increase enrollment
2. Create the best Emerson
3. Strengthen alumni relations
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12. The Midwesterner
Who is she? Emma Just turned 17. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her
parents, brother, and Golden Retriever. She is bisexual and is involved in her
high school’s Gay Straight Alliance. She is a progressive and would vote for
Bernie Sanders is she were old enough to vote. She loves indie music and
knows she wants to pursue a career in filmmaking.
How do we reach her? Emma goes to a nice public school. Most of her class will go to college, but they will
mainly go to large state schools in Ohio or the midwest. She knows she wants to attend film school, and she
conducts her college search primarily online with influence from social media.
What does she want? Emma feels that she is different from the other students in her class, and is looking for a
very different sort of college experience. She knows what she wants, and is not interested in wasting time with
Philosophy 101 or football games. Emma wants to be producing professional-level work, now. It is even more
important to her than studying her craft. She wants to be surrounded by an intimate group of like-minded
students, and she wants to get the hell out of Ohio.
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13. The International
Who is she? Rhea just turned 18. She lives with her parents and her younger
brother in Mumbai, India. She is independent and loves to do everything her
own way. She enjoys spending time with her friends, using the creative side of
her mind and event planning. She is good at convincing people to believe what
she does and has an artsy way of doing it.
How do we reach her? Rhea studies at an international school in Mumbai and is presently preparing for her SAT
exam. She doesn’t want a degree that is set in stone or offers traditional, textbook courses. She is very in touch
with current news, and is a social media junkie. She blogs about everything she does. She does a lot of online
college research, and gains further information via her school’s college fair.
What does she want? Rhea is looking for a program where she can learn more about blogging, social media,
event planning, and marketing. She wants to attend a school that will allow her to make full use of her creative
side, and learn more about what she wants to pursue in life. Rhea is not interested in reading big textbooks; she
wants a more hands on approach and a professional experience. Her parents are very keen on looking at alumni
of the university she picks and the kind of jobs they are currently working in.
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14. The Transfer
Who is he? John just turned 20. He attends a small, liberal arts college in
California where he is an art student. He’s always had a passion for the arts,
but he’s never really been sure what to do with it. He spends most of time
watching movies, listening to music, and thinking of new ways to create. He
enjoys the school he’s attending, but he’s worried about what he will do with
his degree after he graduates.
How do we reach him? John has been thinking more and more about what he will do after graduates. He loves
art, but he wants to find a way to apply it in a real world setting. He’s developing a passion for making short
films, but he’s unaware that he can pursue a career related to this interest. John has been casually looking
around at different schools online, but he needs a school that can appeal to his unique passion.
What does he want? John wants to pursue his passion while being able to support himself financially in the
future. He knows that his art degree isn’t preparing him for anything real and he’s not getting the opportunity to
pursue alternative forms of art like film. He wants to be part of a progressive program that is constantly looking
to the future and not the past.
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15. 1. Increase enrollment
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16. Known as the “attract” stage, stage one is where
awareness of Emerson College is built in the
prospective student’s mind. In this stage the hope is
to attract this student by promoting information
about a topic that he or she might be interested in.
Note that we are not yet promoting Emerson, we are
promoting a topic that Emerson has mastered. Tools
used in this stage are more “traditional” marketing
tools like blog posts, social media campaigns, and
AdWords campaigns.
The advantage of promoting a topic, rather than
Emerson itself, is that to a prospective student it
doesn’t seem like we are advertising at all. Research
shows that younger generations are hesitant to
marketing efforts, so our goal is to give them
something of interest rather than information about
Emerson itself. Examples of this idea would be a blog
post titled “10 Ways to Know that Marketing is the
Right Major for You” or an AdWords ad with the
headline “Find Out if Marketing is Right for You”.
Stage 1: Attract
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17. This stage also provides an opportunity for
segmented marketing efforts. With Google
AdWords and social media we can target
specific geographic locations such as the
midwest, or any other location desired.
This will be especially helpful when reaching
out to international students, who are much
less likely to know about Emerson. By using
AdWords, we can promote content specific to
them, which will help them through the
process of applying to a US college and will
keep the Emerson name in their mind.
Ultimately, the hope is that we can attract a
prospective student who has never heard of
Emerson by promoting a topic of interest
rather than an organization. The social media
campaigns, blog posts, and AdWords
campaigns will all be designed around a
call-to-action leading to a landing page, which
will be discussed in our next stage.
AdWords
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18. Social Media
The 3 main platforms Emerson should concentrate on to build engagement are Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The
first key step to a social media strategy is to understand what each platform can be best used for. Facebook is where
followers read longer posts and look at album pictures. Twitter is short and fun. It gives the opportunity to convey the
brand’s voice and tone, making it more relatable to the people we are targeting. Instagram is the place to showcase
creativity and show images that can create an emotional connection with the viewer.
There are 3 types of posts brands should indulge in, product related posts, promotional posts and generic posts. More
than often, generic posts build the maximum engagement, followed by promotional and product related.
High number of followers (22,962)
with comparatively very low levels
of engagement.
20.3 thousand followers, with 13.4
tweets and almost no engagement
levels.
5734 followers with 540 posts, and
averagely low levels of
engagement.
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19. Twitter
The key to build engagement for Emerson’s Twitter page is to initiate two-way communication. Instead of attracting
strangers first, it is essential to build a strong following of the people that are already studying here. Once that is
achieved, we can then turn to reaching out to a wider audience. It is important to showcase Emerson’s identity through
our social media. Below are some suggestions on how to improve engagement and increase the number of followers on
Emerson’s Twitter campaign. These can also be implemented in other platforms as necessary.
Ask more direct questions to engage users and initiate
two-way communication. Tweet everyday of the week
consistently, at certain times of the day .
Create a constant hashtag to strengthen the identity of
the Emerson brand and build campus spirit. Promote
current students and student organization projects to
increase post engagement among the student body and
connect with them on a more personal level.
Run contests on Twitter for free giveaways. These could
be musical tickets, passes for an event happening in
Boston, or other rewards boosting college spirit.
Posts about alumni perform well. Share Tweets about
marketing news, social media advancements, film or
other news that are taking place in the real world and
relate to Emerson and its students and alumni.
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20. Emerson College has many notable alumni whose Emerson stories would be of great interest to prospective students.
Famous and influential Emerson alumni should be used to create shareable content that interests prospective students in its
own right. Content like video interviews, blog posts, articles, and social media posts should be distributed both Emerson and
the alumnus it entails to reach a wide audience. In addition, when notable Emerson alumni speak or post about Emerson,
Emerson should be sharing it on social media.
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Notable Alumni

21. 1. Receive the prospective student’s information by
creating a call-to-action on the landing page where he
or she has just arrived. The design of the landing page
will be fairly simple, but the idea is to offer the
prospective student useful content created around
the topic of interest. If a student is interested in
marketing, the content offered could be an e-book
concerning what a student would learn in a marketing
program. The idea is to give the prospective student
content that will be useful in the future. This will not
only give us a lead, but it will help the prospective
student understand what he or she will receive from a
particular program. It is important to note that we are
still marketing a topic rather than Emerson as we are
hoping to attract students based on their interests.
Stage 2: Convert
Stage two contains two different components that will help us convert visitors into leads:
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22. Lists:
“How to organize your college search and applications.”
FAQs (can be defined through keyword
research):
“Where should I search for colleges?”
“How many colleges should I apply to?”
“Do US colleges offer financial aid to international students?”
Curated Content:
“Top cities for a marketing career”
“Boston: One of The Top Marketing Hubs in the US”
“5 Reasons that Make Boston The Perfect Place for Startups”
“What to look for in a marketing degree”
Internal Links:
“See how Emerson is Redefining Marketing”
“Emerson Students Bring Startups to Life”
2. Attract the prospective student with content that
provides them with information that will make their
search easier, minimize their stress, and help them
narrow down their options. At this point, our target
audience is still in their consideration stage. They
are just starting out on their college-searching
journey and are looking for help on how to go
through the process. With this transparent
communication, we are hoping to create a positive
perception of Emerson. The content could take the
form of blog posts, white papers, etc. , which can
also be used to target more specific audiences such
as international students, transfer students, and
parents. Through curated content, we can promote
Emerson’s characteristics, like its location, without
specifically mentioning the college itself. By
including calls to action in the form of internal links
that tie this topic of a blog into Emerson’s own
location and programs, we can help our visitors
move into the next step both in their buyer’s
journey and our customer acquisition process.
Content
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23. Now that we have given the prospective student a substantial amount of information and solutions to their concerns and questions, it’s time to
start promoting Emerson itself. The goal in stage three is to begin educating the prospective student about what Emerson has to offer. Tools
used in this stage will be live tours, webinars, videos, and more inbound content about Emerson such as brochures, white papers, blog posts,
etc. In stage two we built a solid framework for the prospective student to be more than interested in a particular topic. After stage two, the
hope is that the prospective student will begin questioning where he or she should attend, which gives us the opportunity to sustain the
engagement that we have already created.
Stage two allowed us to build a relationship with the prospective student by helping them in their search process. Stage three is highly
important because we are attempting to sustain the relationship already created. If the student perceives the information being sent as
intrusive, the student may build a negative perception of the institution.
Stage 3: Educate
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24. Virtual tours
● Livestream of students giving tours
● Tours specifically for livestream (potentially Facebook)
● Take questions from the viewers at the end of the tour
● Give out contact info for further questions & concerns
Experiencing Emerson
Webinars
● Presentation by admission counselors on deadlines,
app process, etc
● Student Q & A with Performing arts, International
and Transfer students
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25. The Emerson Website
A quick and easy way to attract people that are already
aware of Emerson is via the college’s website. The key is
to make it as interesting and engaging as possible. The
main page will include a carousel of images and calls to
action. Some examples of the carousel content include:
● Emerson Open House announcement with a link to
the details and sign up form.
● A “career quiz” that prospective students can take
to see if a program at Emerson is right for them.
● “1 College, 3 Campuses”, a showcase of the
Boston, LA and Castle campuses that links to more
info about Emerson’s external programs.
● Emerson’s rankings, showcasing Emerson’s
academic excellence and linking to more details
about emerson’s position as a higher ed
institution.
This setup also allows for the three “next step” options to be
seen without the need to scroll further down. Visitors can
immediately choose the next step. By making the process
easier we can improve conversion rates.
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26. At this point in time we’ve attracted the prospective student to a particular topic, we’ve educated the student about that topic, and
we’ve educated the student about our program. Application due dates are rising quickly and the student needs help in this process.
Stage four is when we encourage the student to apply. This can be done through email campaigns and calls from admissions
counselors, but the idea is to make the process as simple as possible. With the amount of information we’ve been sending, the
student surely knows that applications are due soon, so instead of reminding the student to apply we can help the student apply.
Chances are that this is not a difficult process, so there isn’t much that Emerson actually has to do, but once again the point is to
sustain the relationship that has been created.
The pain, or ease, of this process will likely shape the student’s perception of the institution so it is highly important that the
information being sent makes the process easier.
Stage 4: Encourage
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27. The prospective student has made it successfully through the education
stages and has completed his or her application. Realistically, the
student applied to Emerson and several other institutions, so now the
student is forced to undergo the painful process of waiting for decisions.
The goal of stage five is to help them wait. Yes, the student may not get
into Emerson, but how can we make the student’s life a little easier
during this process? Stage five is where we send the student content
like blog posts, and videos to help the student deal with the stress of
application decisions. The idea is to almost revert back to stage two. We
are no longer promoting Emerson, we are simply helping the student in
the waiting process.
In this stage we are still sustaining the relationship that we have built
with the prospective student. If the student is not accepted, we’ve sent
the student information to help choose a program at another school,
we’ve helped educate the student about a topic of interest, and we’ve
helped the student wait for application decisions from not only Emerson
but every other institution in which the student applied.
Stage 5: Sustain
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28. Stage six is essentially the final completion of objective one
of this campaign: increasing enrollment. The goal in this
stage is to help accepted students choose Emerson. Most
of the information created in this stage will be used to
educate the student further about life at Emerson. Tools
used will be Google hangouts with current students,
buzzfeed quizzes about Emerson dorms or clubs, and
information about different dorms and our dining hall,
which we hope will create excitement about coming to
Emerson.
Up until this point, we have created and sustained a unique
relationship with each of the accepted students, so the
hope is to once again further help them in their college
decision.
Stage 6: Enroll
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29. 2. Create the best
Emerson
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30. What is her problem? Even though she studies at Emerson College, she is not associated with any organizations on campus. She
spends little time on campus. She feels like she came to Boston to study, meet new people and really gain a college experience,
however she feels very disconnected. Emma wants to be a part of the Emerson culture and community, but she is not aware of
many of the events that are happening on campus.
Current Student Persona
Who is she? Emma just turned 21. She now lives in Alston in a 2-bedroom apartment with
her friend. Her apartment is only a T ride away from her university. She loves watching TV
shows, and is very particular about the perfection of all her social media platforms. She
loves listening to music on her ride to class everyday and spends most of her time with her
close friends.
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The primary concern for the Emerson product is a lack of campus community and campus pride. Emerson
students and administrators plan amazing events, and no one attends them. This is a cultural problem within
Emerson. To create the best campus experience, Emerson must increase event attendance by creating a culture
of campus participation and create and attract programming that will harbor interest and create campus pride.

31. The Emerson App
The new Emerson College app will synthesize the entire campus
social life into an easily accessible mobile experience. This will
encourage campus and community participation and help create a
more lively and fulfilling campus life.
The app will display all student and administration-run events in
one centralized location. The app will also recommend campus
events to the user based on availability, field of study and general
interests. Users can click on any event in the calendar to read its
description, find the time and place of the event and RSVP.
Another element of the app is the personal profile. That will
showcase a user’s information like their major, year and interests.
Users can also add ‘friends’ with which they can share events
through the app. Through the profile, users will also have access
to their Emerson Wallet. This feature will allow students to check
the amount of Swipes, BoardBucks and ECCash available to them
and load more on their Emerson ID. In the future it could also
replace the Emerson ID as a way to tap into any Emerson building
and pay in the dining facilities on campus.
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32. ProgrammingOne of the most successful events held at Emerson has been the visit of Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, and the
renaming of the college to Ron Burgundy School of Communication. It was an event that gathered a lot of
attention not only among Emerson students but also by national news sources. We believe that this type of
programming can be a powerful PR tool to promote the school and give our students great opportunities at the
same time.
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Programming
Remember:
Emerson students
respect and
appreciate pop
culture as much as the
classics!
● High Profile Events
○ Celebrity Events
○ Cutting Edge Programs
● School Spirit events
○ Quidditch Tailgate
○ Musical Theater Pep Rally

33. 3. Strengthen alumni
relations
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34. Connecting
Despite all the new social media platforms that have become constant in people’s lives, email is still the predominant
way to network. 91% individuals check their email daily. By far the highest out of any channel. However, most emails fall
short and end up in the trash folder. In order for Emerson to successfully stay connected to its alumni, the email strategy
of this campaign should follow Hubspot’s 5 Step Framework for Writing Networking Emails: Research, Warm up,
Connect, Ask and Follow Up.
Stage 1: Doing 10 minutes of research about the person’s history, interests, potential problems, and communication style
drastically increases the chances of getting a response. Some ways of implementing this step effectively are to first find their
personal email, find what platforms they are on using Hubspot’s “sidekick” or similar tools and understand their interests.
Stage 2: Make the name look familiar to them before hitting their inbox. Follow them, retweet them, favorite a couple of tweets,
respond to open questions they ask etc. People are vain. They check to see who is following, mentioning, and interacting with their
accounts.
Stage 3: Skip the introduction and get straight to the meat. If you still want to incorporate your intro, have a strong email
signature. Stroke their ego. Mention some of their recent accomplishments, refer to them as a leader or any other power word in
their field, talk to them about their work. Make sure you are specific. Add value. Share their company, product, content with others
via social media or other mediums, share a high quality and helpful article or book on a topic of interest or problem, introduce
them to someone they would find valuable.
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35. Stage 4: Asking. There are three keys to follow for this email to maximize the chances of success.
● Key 1: Size matters. the second someone opens an email they immediately scan it and are assessing if this is something
they want to invest time in.Keep the email as short as possible. If it must be longer, don’t use paragraphs. Break it into
bullet points instead to make it more digestible. Be brutal about revising the email and cutting out anything that is
unnecessary.
● Key 2: Keep the email incredibly focused. Asking for multiple things will result in getting none. Asking one thing increases
the chance of getting it. Always initiate with small asks and then big asks in order to build a relationship.
● Key 3: Get Specific. Be as specific as possible with the request. Asking for something super generic or broad creates work for
them.
“We know you loved living on Emerson’s campus as a student and RA. We are building a brand new residence hall in between
Piano Row and the Walker Building for our students, so that many more can share the same experience as you. The space is going
to include a large student lounge and house 400 students. We would appreciate anything you would want to give back in order to
make this experience possible for future Emersonians!”
Connecting(Continued)
Stage 5: Follow up. Following up psychologically places a little guilt on the recipient's mind for not responding the first time and
also acts as a reminder if they happened to miss the email in a crowd of several others. If the person has done what was asked of
them, start by thanking them and acknowledging their action. The deeper the relationship that is built, the larger the ask that can
be made. If the person was a part of certain student organizations, or was the winner of the E3 Expo, keep them updated with the
latest accomplishments in those aspects, so that even though they have graduated, they still feel like they are a part of this culture.
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36. Alumni Advisors
The current student advising process has students begin their Emerson careers with Academic Advisors and transition
to Faculty Advisors for their junior and senior years. Instead of this system, students should transfer from an
Academic to a Faculty advisor in the middle of their sophomore year and to an Alumni Advisor for their senior year.
Students can be paired with alumni from their field of study.
This will encourage alumni to become engaged in campus life and interact with current students and see their
ambitions first hand. By senior year, students have campus life figured out and are primarily concerned with what
they will do after graduation. Alumni advisors will help them through the transition into post-grad life using their own
firsthand knowledge and assistance. Alumni advisors are not a replacement for Career Services, but instead a
resource to help students find information and navigate their specific industry.
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37. Strategic Summary
Emerson College has a very unique set of characteristics that can truly
set it apart from the competition. From its innovative approach to
communication and the arts to the driven student body, Emerson has
the tools to grow exponentially. Our strategy strives to make full use
of these tools in order to achieve three main goals: increase
enrollment by reaching out to the right audience, create the best
Emerson experience for current students and strengthen the relations
with the school’s alumni.
To achieve the first goal, increasing enrollment, we broke down the
buyer’s journey model into six different stages: Attract, Convert,
Educate, Encourage, Sustain and Enroll. This allowed us to more
specifically pinpoint our targets’ psychological state and goals and
create content that appealed to their needs at that moment in time.
Many of the strategies mentioned in one of the stages also apply to
the ones that follow. Google AdWords is an important element of this
goal as it will allow the college to get this content in front of the right
people at the right time. As a way to make the application and
decision process easier and more favorable towards Emerson College,
and expand our reach, we also brought up the suggestion of organizing
livestreamed tours and webinars that will allow prospective students
to have a more immersive experience.
By creating content that offers solutions to our audience’s problems
and questions, and combining it with a strong social media presence,
which highlights the work of current and past Emerson students,
faculty and staff, the college will be able to strengthen its positioning
in the cluttered higher education market.
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For our second goal, creating the best Emerson, we identified
some of the mobile moments in the current students’ lives that
could be addressed by the school in order to improve the
involvement and overall experience of the student body. Throught
the Emerson mobile application, they will be able to keep up to
date with events happening on and around campus and have easy
access to their meal plan information. High profile guests and
programming is also an important part of achieving this goal.
Our final goal, strengthening alumni relations, can have both short
and long-term positive effects.It can keep the Emerson spirit alive
and strong and create valuable brand ambassadors and result in
higher donation rates. Alumni advisors can not only improve the
buyer’s journey by making the transition from student to graduate
smoother, but also help maintain a closer and more personal
relationship with Emerson’s alumni network. Since email is the
main way of communicating and building this relationship with
the school’s graduated students, it is important to follow
Hubspot’s five steps: Research, Warm up, Connect, Ask and Follow
Up.
In our strategy we strove to address the buyer’s journey from
start to finish, from the moment they decide to attend college all
the way to their post-Emerson career. We believe that this
approach has the potential to improve the overall Emerson
experience for all parties involved and help Emerson College with
the three main goals of increasing enrollment, creating the best
Emerson strengthening the alumni relations.

38. Conclusion
Emerson College is a diverse, coeducational, and multifaceted institution that educates students to assume positions of leadership in
communication and the arts. In the highly populated higher education market, it is the forward thinking, the academic excellence, and the
school’s commitment to advancing the scholarship and creative work that brings innovation, depth, and diversity to all the programs offered
that truly make Emerson stand out among the competition.
The passion, creativity and commitment of the student body makeup for the College’s small size tenfold. Emerson students are taught by
industry professionals while engaging in hands-on projects to put what they learn in the classroom into practice. As a result, Emerson
College is where innovators and visionaries in the field of art, communication and media are born.
Emerson has an impressive competitive advantage. The purpose of this campaign is to communicate this advantage to the US market and
beyond through target-centric inbound marketing methods, the creation of an online community, and the sustained connection and
identification of alumni to the institution.
It is not enough for the College to advertise its merits in a world where people purposefully avoid that type of promotion. Instead, Emerson
needs to become a resource for their target audience, even before they become members of the community. Through the content, calls to
action, landing pages and social media practices presented in this campaign, and by addressing important mobile moments through a newly
designed Emerson app, the school can build a relationship that follows the students throughout their entire buyer’s journey, from
introduction to life after graduation.
Emerson College, at the forefront of instruction in communications and the arts, is a smaller school compared to many of its competitors,
but has a much more well-rounded product to offer. Emerson students themselves are innovators and are constantly changing the
landscape in their industries. This campaign is more than just a marketing strategy. It is a way to let the world discover the Emerson spirit
that makes this institution and its community such a unique, creative force, and empower the College to become the true leader in the fields
of communication and the arts.
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39. Sources
http://academic.mintel.com.proxy.emerson.edu/display/758137/
http://www.statista.com/statistics/217062/5-year-percent-chance-in-us-state-fiscal-support-for-higher-education/
http://www.statista.com/statistics/240833/higher-education-institutions-in-the-us-by-type/
http://www.statista.com/statistics/203056/average-annual-charges-for-higher-education-in-the-us/
http://www.statista.com/statistics/185153/degrees-in-higher-education-earned-in-the-united-states-since-1950/
http://www.statista.com/statistics/238282/us-higher-education-graduation-rate/
http://www.statista.com/statistics/236093/higher-education-enrollment-rates-by-age-group-us/
http://www.statista.com/statistics/232942/unemployment-rate-by-level-of-education-in-the-us/
http://www.statista.com/statistics/232946/average-weekly-income-by-level-of-education-in-the-us/
http://www.hubspot.com/sales/networking-email
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